The Nōbi earthquake (濃尾地震, Nōbi Jishin) struck the Japanese provinces of Mino and Owari (present-day Gifu Prefecture) in the Nōbi Plain in the early morning of October 28 with a surface wave magnitude of 8.0 and a moment magnitude of 7.5. The event, also referred to as the 1891 Mino–Owari earthquake (美濃・尾張地震, Mino-Owari Jishin), the Great Gifu earthquake (岐阜大地震, Gifu Daijishin), or the Great Nōbi earthquake (濃尾大地震, Nōbi Daijishin), is the largest known inland earthquake to have occurred in the Japanese archipelago.

The earthquake came at a time when Japan was undergoing a transformation into a more industrial nation and while advancing its scientific understanding in many fields. Damage from the event was widespread and the loss of life was significant. The many kilometers of visible fault breaks on the surface of the earth presented scientists with opportunities for field investigations that ultimately led to an improved understanding of the fault scarps that earthquakes often generate.